


What (Not) To Expect When You Are Expecting

by AGL03



Series: Dad Off [1]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Baby Fitzsimmons, Dad Off, Dadcliffe, F/M, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-16
Updated: 2016-06-16
Packaged: 2018-07-15 09:42:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7217395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AGL03/pseuds/AGL03
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tumblr Prompt:  Could you do one with pregnant Jemma and Coulson-Radcliffe dad-off/grandpa-off....   Its a battle royal as Jemma goes into labor while in the clutches of AIM....</p>
            </blockquote>





	What (Not) To Expect When You Are Expecting

Jemma signed contently as she snuggled deeper into Fitz’s arms, a cup of hot chocolate warming her hands against the morning chill. They sat together on the swing on their porch in of their temporary cottage in Perthshire. They had been searching for months now for the perfect one; as it needed to be secure, room for a lab and their rather large extended family, and fit Fitzsimmons exacting tastes. Fitz heard her soft sigh and tenderly kissed the top of her head, his hands moving to her stomach and stroked it gently. 

It was hard to believe that it had been over a year since Hive’s defeat and just how much had changed. It had been in the fall out from Hive that had led them to make the drastic life change. No longer willing to risk losing each other and not willing to give up on a future together. 

It had been Doctor Radcliffe that had suggested it, the set up they had today. Fitz often joking he felt like they were the children of divorced parents. As they now split their time between Shield, Doctor Radcliffe, and Perthshire. 

“Are you ready for today?” Fitz asked breaking her from her revelry. 

Jemma burrowed deeper into her arms. “Not really,” she admitted. 

They had an announcement to make to both ‘families’ as it were and things always seemed to be a bit tense when Doctor Radcliffe was at the same event as their Shield team. Their engagement, wedding, rescuing Fitz when AIM had abducted him. A grief stricken Jemma had nearly throttled both Coulson and Radcliffe as they argued over the best course of action in saving him. Constantly stepping on each other’s toes and coming up with preposterous rescue plans. In the end it had been Jemma’s total and utter break down that involved a lot of screaming, crying, and threats of sending them to live on Maveth for them to put their difference aside and allow May to plan the assault. 

Fitz kissed her again, sharing in her trepidation. “At least our families already know so we won’t have our mothers in the mix.” Jemma merely hummed in agreement, their mothers in the mix would have just been too much to handle. 

The sun now high in the sky, Jemma took the last sips of her cocoa and pulled herself up, Fitz’s hand staying on her belly as she did. She smiled fondly as he spun her, placing a gentle kiss to her stomach. “How about you little one? You ready for this?” 

Jemma ran her hands through his hair, loving when he did this. “Just remember no matter how crazy it gets, it’s out of love...I think,” he said. Jemma laughed and pulled him up to her, kissing him softly. 

“Out of love,” she agreed.

8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8

Nearly 9 Months later.... 

This was NOT how it was supposed to go! Jemma thought bitterly. 

She was supposed to be in the quaint little hospital that was a merely twenty minutes from their cottage in Perthshire. She had a plan. A detailed and well researched plan. THIS was not in the plan. The plan was to be in her quaint hospital room with a kindly aged nurse that would offer her advice and encouragement. Her mother would be at her side with tears shimmering in her eyes. Fitz’s mother would bustle about the room and drag the nurses in every ten minutes to check on her. Fitz would be at her side, looking slightly green, holding her hand, stroking her hair, feeding her ice chips, and telling her what a good job she was doing. How proud he was. And how excited he was to meet their daughter. 

THAT had been the plan. 

Not THIS. 

Getting abducted at 38 weeks pregnant with her husband in the dead of night by scientific terrorist’s hell bent on using their talents to take over the world was not in the plan. Nor was going into labor hours ago after they had drug Fitz off to one of their God forsaken labs. Fitz agreeing to do whatever they wanted in order to keep her and their baby safe. 

That was how they’d found her. Leaning against the wall breathing through a contraction with tears of fear and frustration in her eyes. Her rescuers freezing in terror at the sight. 

Anyone but them! She thought as the door burst open, revealing Director Coulson and Doctor Radcliffe. They were trying to shove each other out of the way to get into her cell first. 

“Jemma!” Coulson said recovering first and running to her side. “Are you hurt?” 

Unable to help herself she latched onto Coulson’s non robotic hand in a vice like grip that caused him to let out a small grunt in pain. “I’m in labor,” she panted before renewing her focus on breathing through the contraction.

“Are you sure?” Radcliffe asked and her other hand latched onto his giving him the same treatments as Coulson’s. “Oh bloody hell that hurts,” he cried and her eyes fixed on him with a vengeance. 

Coulson couldn’t help the smirk he shot at Radcliffe there. He could feel Jemma’s grip letting up and she rested her head back against the wall. “Where is Fitz?” he asked so he could relay to one of the other teams currently storming the facility where to go. 

Tears welled in her eyes, “They took him to the lab yesterday. Said they would hurt me and the baby if he didn’t.” Radcliffe patted her arm reassuringly gently tugging her away from Coulson as he directed all teams on the comms to descent on the lab. 

“Let’s get you out of here, the whole Shield team is here as is the incredibly lovely and dare I say pissed Miss Morse and Mister Hunter. They’ll get Fitz and we’ll have you to the hospital in no time.” 

To his shock Jemma moved but in the wrong direction, instead moving to the bed and resting on her elbows and bracing herself again. 

“Another!” Radcliffe squawked looking at his watch, it had hardly been two minutes. 

“I’m in labor,” she snapped “have been since yesterday! Contractions are now two minutes apart and I am feeling the urge to push. So I am not going anywhere right now!” 

Coulson had stopped directing his teams, eyes wide and meeting Radcliffe’s eyes in terror. “You’re a Doctor!” Coulson said. 

“Not THAT kind!” Radcliffe yelled. 

THIS was not how it was supposed to go! Jemma thought again trying to control her breathing, breath through the pain. She had wanted to do this naturally....a decision she was currently reconsidering. “May,” she said between breaths, “Get May here.” 

Coulson snapped out of his stupor and began issuing more orders into his comms. 

“And Fitz, I want Fitz,” Jemma added this times the tears threatening again. Radcliffe waited until the contraction had passed before easing her onto the bed. “We’ll get him dear, now why don’t we lay you back down.” Jemma obeyed as Radcliffe set out arranging the few pillows the captors had provided them as well as his jacket to try to make her more comfortable. 

Coulson joining them, tearing a strip of the thin sheets and wetting it in the sink before patting it along her head. “Just hang in there Jemma. May is on her way, we are going to get you all out of here safe and sound.”

Jemma braced as another contraction hit, Radcliffe not fast enough to get his hand out of the way as she latched onto it again. “This wasn’t supposed to happen,” she hissed. 

Coulson pressed the rag along her brow, “I know Jemma, I’m so sorry it did, you should have been safe.” As he spoke he fixed his gaze squarely on Radcliffe. The Doctor bristled despite the tiny scientist clutching his hand doing her best to shatter the bones within. 

“You think this is my fault?” he snapped.

“Well you said it first!” Coulson snapped back. “It’s because of you and your need to show them off that AIM even knows about them!” 

‘THIS NOW?’ Jemma thought unable to currently vocalize it. 

“You were the one that insisted on providing the security system of their cottage and once again Shield inability to keep them safe got them kidnapped. What was it? Daisy sitting at home reading for the night so you had all the security agents guarding her quarters!” Radcliffe shouted back. 

“ENOUGH!” a voice from the door shouted and both men immediately fell silently at the sight of a very livid Melinda May, Daisy at her heels. 

“May!” Jemma cried throwing her head back in relief. May was at her side, not so gently shoving Radcliffe out of the way and slapping Coulson’s hand away. “This wasn’t how it was supposed to go,” Jemma cried as May held her. 

“I know Jemma,” May soothed and Daisy pulled up to her other side taking her hand. 

“I want Fitz, they took him, they took him away from me,” she cried looking at the women pleading as another contraction hit. 

Daisy turned not letting go of Jemma as May began to move. Coulson and Radcliffe turning away with cries as May removed her leggings. “Where else is the baby going to come from? If she is having contractions every 2 minutes and has the urge to push it won’t be much longer...” 

“Not without Fitz,” Jemma cried “please not without him, he can’t miss this!” 

“Oh Jemma sweetheart, you are so close, I’m going to need you to start pushing with the next one.” May announced letting the contraction finish before getting her into a better position. 

Daisy continued soothing her best she could. “AIM has holed up in the lab with Fitz, we can’t get past the metal door...it and the wall are earthquake proof. Mack went to the Zephyr to get something to cut through but I don’t know if he’ll make it back in time.” 

Jemma let out a sob that nearly broke both men’s hearts... “Please don’t let them take this from us.” 

With that the two men took off at a run, once again shoving at each other to get through the door first. “Hang on Jemma, I’ll get him for you!” Radcliffe called back. 

They ran taking a few twists and turns to see the lab wasn’t far from the quarters. Bobbi pacing outside the doors twirling her staves while Hunter had the wires of the control panel open and was trying to hot wire it. “Move,” Radcliffe said, shoving the mercenary out of the way, narrowing his cybernetic eye and scanning the mass of wires. He could see Coulson’s envious look. “Fitz upgraded them,” Radcliffe said with a smirk setting to work. 

Coulson went to the door, pointing a finger of his robotic hand at it and pressing his thumb to the knuckle a laser began burning into the door. Coulson return the smirk, “Fitz upgraded it, Laser Finger.”

Radcliffe face fell slightly before he set to work once more. Hunter leaning over to Bobbi in an exaggerated whisper, “Did Fitz make Coulson a lightsaber in his finger?” Bobbi nodded before looking down at her batons, maybe Fitz could put something similar in them for her. Maybe in a Skywalker Blue. 

Both men worked swiftly, May’s voice buzzing in Coulson’s ear. “Step on it Phil! This baby is as stubborn as her parents and not going to wait much long to make her debut”. 

Mack was just running up with the torch as Coulson neared the end of his cut. “Seriously,” he growled out of breath and sweating. “We couldn’t have mentioned something before I ran back to the damn plane!” 

“Get ready!” Coulson said. Radcliffe threw the wires down, looking around for a weapon and finding a fire extinguisher. Mack pulled his shotgun ax from his back. Bobbi twirled her staves. Hunter pulling out a pair of pistols. “These morons are going to pay so dearly,” Hunter growled. 

Coulson fished cutting, Mack stepping forward and kicking the hole in with his gun raised and ready to fire. They group charged in, the room full of the bases remaining AIM agents. They could just see Fitz in the very back of the pack, being restrained by a few of the burlier agents. The Engineer doing his best to make their job as difficult as possible. “Mack!” He cried able to see the towering man over the group. 

Radcliffe quickly scanned the tables to see what they were having Fitz work on, not liking what he saw one little but. But when he saw the chain shackles attached to nearly every table did he see red. “Mr. Hunter,” he said coolly. “For every AIM agent you take out, I will buy you a case of beer.” 

“Hope you own a brewery then,” Hunter said. 

A second later they attacked. Mack and Bobbi leading the charge. “Coulson! Get to Fitz and get him to Jemma!” Bobbi shouted her staves crackling and already downing three men. 

Coulson didn’t hesitate, bringing up his Shield and using it to plow through the AIM agents. Radcliffe hot on his heels. And thanks to Mack and Hunter’s cover fire made it to the thugs holding Fitz. 

Once closer Radcliffe could see the angry bruises on Fitz’s wrists. Radcliffe shouted in anger, driving his fire extinguisher into the goon on the left’s head with a satisfying thud. Arm free Fitz spun throwing his elbow into the second’s stomach, Coulson sending his robotic hand into his face.

Fitz stumbled free, Coulson and Radcliffe seizing him by the arms and leading him out the door. “Jemma! They had her locked up, threatened the baby-” he said clearly in a panic. 

“May and Daisy are with her,” Coulson assured pulling Fitz along. “She’s in labor and your Little Princess is about as good at following orders as Hunter is.” 

“Labor!” Fitz shouted yanking himself free and tearing down the hall faster than either one thought he could. Coulson was able to keep close while Radcliffe fell pitifully back practically wheezing after a few yards. 

8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8 

Jemma could hear Daisy counting, fighting against the savage scream that she wanted to let out. She fell back into the pillows as Daisy reached zero still trying to fight her tears. It was happening and Fitz was going to miss it. 

“Just one more Jemma!” May said remarkably calm all things considered. 

Daisy stroked her head “Almost there Jemma.” 

“Fitz?” Jemma asked looked to May hopefully. Hoping she had heard something from Coulson. Before May could shake her head a familiar accent was echoing down the hall. 

“Jemma!” 

“Fitz!” Jemma cried back, feeling the contraction building. 

“Get ready Jemma,” May said positioning herself.

No sooner did Fitz come crashing into the room, slamming into the door frame, and nearly tripping twice as he arrived at her side. 

“Push Jemma!” May ordered and Jemma bore down as Fitz peppered her face with kisses and grabbed her hand just as tightly as she was his. Jemma let a small cry slip out, Fitz whispering terms of endearment into her ear, words he only wanted her to year. 

“That’s it Jemma,” May said and her hands were suddenly in motion, a high pitched cry piercing the room.

8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8

3 Hours Later 

Mackenzie Margaret Fitzsimmons lay curled up in her father’s arms, bright blue eyes focused his face as he gently rocked her in the pod on the Zephyr. Jemma lay in the bed hooked up to an IV watching her husband and daughter fondly. 

Bobbi was just finishing giving her a full medical work up to ensure there was no complications from the labor and delivery. Dehydration the only issue she could find. 

Fitz was mesmerized by her eyes, Jemma insisting they were carbon copies of his own, already bright and curious at three hours old. “You certainly know how to make an entrance Princess,” he cooed. “I am very grateful you were kind enough to wait for me to get there.”

Bobbi checked the IV one last time before motioning Fitz over. He carefully took the few steps and ever so gently handed Mackenzie off to her mother. Jemma peppering her tiny face with kisses. The sight before Fitz truly taking his breath away.

Fitz settled in next to Jemma on the small bed, wrapping one arm are her and using his other to play with his daughters toes, just needing to have some form of contact. 

“Do you want me to tell everyone outside to get lost or are you up for visitors?” Bobbi asked. There entire team was pacing outside the pod waiting for a proper look at the baby and status report from her parents. Bobbi had taken away their one vantage when she put a sheet over the window to offer Jemma some privacy as she did those first few crucial feeds.

We’ll see them,” Fitz said meeting Jemma’s gaze “but send in Coulson and Doctor Radcliffe in alone first.” 

Bobbi smiled, patting Fitz on the shoulder on her way out. Ready to show off her phone full of photos she had been snapping ever since they had gotten into the pod. 

It didn’t take long for the two men too appear, and as they had done back at AIM shoving each other out of the way to be the first one in.

They froze a few feet away looking at the baby properly for the first time. “Would you look at that,” Radcliffe said “she has Fitz’s eyes.” 

Coulson nodded in agreement, “But I must say she looks a lot like Jemma.”

“And thank god for that,” Fitz said Jemma nudging his shoulder. Fitz looked up at them warmly. “We wanted to speak to you first because we have a bit of a favor to ask. As you know I never knew my father....over the years you two have filled that void. You have protected us, challenged us, and helped us grow personally and professionally.”

“We were hoping you would do us the honor of being Mackenzie’s Godfathers,” Jemma said, unable to contain her smile as the men’s faces lit up. 

Radcliffe recovered first, pulling Fitz away and into a fierce embrace. “I would be honored!” he said. 

Coulson followed, “As would I,” he said clapping Fitz on the back. “Which means I guess this is even more appropriate.” He handed the bag he had be carrying to Fitz. “I’ve been keeping it in my office here, didn’t want to forget it when we flew out for the birth.”

Fitz pulled out the tissue and a beautiful pink blanket. Jemma gasped and ran her hands over the delicately embroidered stars. It would match perfectly with the theme of the nursery. “I did the stars myself,” Coulson added quietly. 

“It’s beautiful Sir,” Jemma said throwing aside the sheet they had been using to swaddle her due to lack of supplies. Fitz laid the blanket over the bed. Jemma laying Mackenzie in it and bundling her up like a pink burrito.

Radcliffe stepped forward reaching into his inside Jacket pocket. “If we are exchanging gifts now, I may as well present mine” he said, pulling out what looked antique key tied with a simple pink key, a note hanging off of it. 

Every Princess needs a castle.... 

Fitz looked at it confused, Radcliffe pulling a program from his other pocket. Tower of Lethendy written across the front. The Deed peeking out from between the folds. “Holden,” Jemma breathed taking the flyer and looking over the specific of the property. “We can’t accept it...it’s too much,” she started and Radcliffe held up a dismissive hand.  
“It’s in your names, your mothers are currently onsite setting up the nursery and will be waiting when we land, it has multiple guest cottages for your family to stay, fully updated, plenty of room for a lab, and most importantly secure.” he said proudly. Only Coulson catching the look he shot his way, clearly conveying your move.

Coulson took the brochure from a stunned Fitz, flipping through it. While it was indeed a lot but it could be perfect. Plenty of space for a lab...built by Shield to their exact specifications. And he had to agree, it would be easy to secure.

It was then the rest of the team outside couldn’t wait anymore. The group piling through the door and crowding around the Fitzsimmons family. Fawning and cooing at the baby. Mack breaking down into tears as they learned her name. The pink bundle looking even smaller in the arms of her namesake. 

Coulson pulled Hunter aside, showing him the brochure. Hunter was gob smacked. “He seriously bought them a castle…good luck beating that one Sir. Unless you’re planning on outfitting it with a lab for the…you’re going to outfit the lab, aren’t you?” The mercenary shaking his head and letting out a low whistle as he flipped through. “Golf course, billiards room, wine cellar, guest cottages…I guess I know where Bob and I are going to be laying low for the next little bit whether Fitzsimmons want us or not,” Hunter said.

Coulson was quite partial to that idea too, having some of his own people on site to help keep an eye on them. But that wasn’t what Coulson wanted to address right now, instead flipping to a page in the brochure showcasing the beautiful horse stable. “Can your contacts get a pony there by the time we land?”

End


End file.
